Field of the Invention
Applicants' invention relates to tools and a kit for servicing electric, automotive windows and the method for using same. More particularly, it relates to the tools required to service the electric windows of an automobile without disassembling the door.
Background Information
Conventional automotive electric windows are systems designed to raise and lower the automobile's windows. Typically, there is an electric window for each automobile door with an associated switch. Often, the driver's door has a set of switches that allow the driver to operate all of the automatic windows. Power windows are usually inoperable when the car is not running. Generally, this is a security feature rather than a feature of necessity. The car battery could be put in direct communication with the windows to allow operation when the car is not running, however it is not desirable to make it easy to open the windows when the operator is not in the vehicle.
The vehicle windows that are raised and lowered are typically in the doors. Thus, it is generally a requirement that the raising and lowering mechanisms reside in the doors as well. In a traditional power window the window lifting mechanism consists of a linkage designed to lift the window while at the same time keeping the window level. A small electric motor is attached to a worm gear and several other spur gears which create gear reduction sufficient to generate enough torque to lift the window. The linkage has a long arm that attaches to a bar connected to the bottom of the window. The end of the linkage arm can slide along the length of the bar in a groove or track. The electric motor is in electronic communication with the worm gear. Activating the electric motor causes the worm gear to turn. Reversing the current flow causes the electric motor to turn in opposite directions. The worm gear is in mechanical communication, or meshed, with the spur gears. When the worm gear turns, the spur gears turn in conjunction with the worm gear. The linkage has a first end that is generally fan shaped. At the end of the fan shaped our teeth that are in mechanical communication, or meshed, with the last spur gear. Thus, the linkage is ultimately in mechanical communication with the worm gear and moves when the electric motor is activated. The linkage is rotatable about a pin that is attached to the linkage in the middle portion—not necessarily the center—of the linkage. When the spur gears turn, the spur gear teeth engage and disengage with successive linkage teeth causing the first end of the linkage to move down or up depending upon the direction of rotation of the spur gear. As the first end of the linkage moves, the linkage rotates about the pin and the linkage arm end moves in opposition to the first end. Because the linkage arm end is disposed in the window bar groove, the movement up or down of the linkage arm end causes the end to slide along the groove and the window to raise or lower.
There are other systems for raising and lowering the window automatically. Many cars today use cable driven systems.
When the window goes up or down, the drive motor and regulator must work in sync at all times. If at any time either moves out of sync (faster or slower) with the other, then the cables of the slower part begin to snag and tangle. Often, users will hear squeaking and/or the window making other noises.
Over time the mechanisms that raise and lower the window can become stuck or harder to move. Problems may also be caused by regulator failure due in part to a variety of factors such as rain, snow, rapid seasonal changes, and exposure to dust, moisture, wind, or salts. This can cause the electric motor to be unable to raise and lower the window or for the movement of the window to be slowed. Sometimes this is due to a worn out motor or two mechanical failure of the parts such as a broken cable or a part that has gotten off track. However, often it can be due to the surfaces of the moving parts in the door becoming more sticky or having increased coefficients of friction.
It is often the case that when the window starts to move up or down slower than normally, users will continue to attempt to activate the window to go up or down. By doing so, the parts start to worsen. Often, by the time the user realizes the real problem, the problem has been magnified to the extent that instead of repair the parts must be replaced.
If however the user attempts to the issue before the parts are damaged, then often the repair simply requires lubrication of the parts. However, because the parts are located within the door the repair is made much more difficult due to the requirement of removing the door panel to access the interior of the door. Being able to lubricate the interior parts of the automatic window without removing the door panel would make the repair much easier.
Thus, there is a need for a system for lubricating interior window parts, further, it is advantageous for this to be done without removing the door panel.